Great Pages: MARVEL HOLIDAY SPECIAL (1992)

During the course of this 8 page story contained in one of Marvel’s many Holiday Specials is a wordless tale featuring Wolverine battling against a whole range of creatures. From giant monsters to high tech robots to dinosaurs, Wolverine battled for his life. When an arm picked him up and shot a stream of plasma directly into his face, it seemed to be all over for our hero. However, it was soon revealed that the adventure took place in a young fan’s mind as he played with an action figure at a Christmas toy display.

Written by Larry Hama, this wordless tale is a fond reminder of the completely silent G. I. Joe: A Real American Hero #21, which Hama also wrote. Drawn by Michael Golden, this page showcases the dynamism of what happens when a young child lets his or her imagination run wild. It appears that Golden used an actual Wolverine action figure for photo reference, as a remarkably similar looking toy was produced the year this comic hit store shelves. Call it a bit of cross promotion, but I think this it was completely justifiable in this case. It showed that Golden was as adept at drawing the real world as he was drawing a fantastical, never-ending battle.

Comments

I have fond memories of those X-Men toys. I remember Professor X took me forever to find. I was out of town visiting my grandparents, my dad had taken me to the mall and of course I wanted to go to the toy store. Before that though, I threw a penny in the fountain to make a wish. My wish was for KB Toys to have a Professor X toy. They did. I was psyched.

I so had that figure. 30+ years of making Wolverine toys, and they still haven’t figured out a way to do the claws rights. That Toy Biz line was fantastic though. Clean, accurate paint jobs with serious durability and fun little spring-loaded movements. Many an hour was spent in my imagination with the X-Men.

The page itself is gorgeous. Really dynamic stuff. I particularly love the plasma melted Logan in the second to last panel. He is pissed at that kid.